The Sarajeh facility, located in the city of Qom, near Tehran, will have capacity to store 1.2 billion cubic meters of gas in its first phase and the capacity will be increased to 3.3 billion cubic meters in the second phase, ISNA reported.

To date, over 750 million cubic meters of natural gas has been stored in the facility.

In November 2012, IRNA quoted National Iranian Gas Company Managing Director Javad Owji as saying that Iran will establish 40 gas storage facilities in the coming years.

Some 60-70 million cubic meters (mcm) of natural gas will be stored in the facilities as consumption is expected to rise in the future, he added.

On Oct.1, 2012, Natural Gas Storage Company Managing Director Massoud Samivand told the Mehr News Agency that Iran will be able to store 110 mcm of gas per day when it completes several relevant projects.

Work on Nasrabad underground storage facility near Kashan and Khorasan Province's Shourijeh facility will also be launched, Samivand said.

Upon completion of five to six projects, Iran's gas storage capacity will grow to 110 mcm, making it possible for the country to have a greater share in global gas sales.